This October, explore the history of film at an exhibition created by the Missouri University of Science and Technology Archives and the State Historical Society of Missouri’s Rolla Research Center. The exhibition will be housed on the second floor of the Curtis Laws Wilson Library at Missouri S&T from Tuesday, Oct. 1, to Thursday, Oct. 31.

The exhibition will open with a reception at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 at the Curtis Laws Wilson Library. SHSMO-Rolla Research Center archivist Kathleen Seale and Gene Carney will give a presentation on the history of the Rotoscope film process developed by Rowe Carney, Jr. Light refreshments will be served at the opening reception.

“Lights, Camera, ROLLA!” explores the history of film in Rolla and Missouri, and Missouri S&T’s links to Hollywood. Visitors will learn about film processes developed in Rolla, a Missouri School of Mines alumnus who went on to Hollywood, and more. The exhibition and all events are free, with free campus parking after 4:30 p.m.

For those unable to attend in-person, events will be streamed on Facebook Live at facebook.com/MissouriSandTArchives, and on Zoom. To register for specific events on Zoom, visit shsmo.org/calendar.

In addition to the opening reception, planned events include:

• “Lights, Camera, Action: Being in Documentaries,” 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, on the second floor of the library. Dr. Larry Gragg, university historian and Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus of history and political science, will discuss what happens behind the scenes of history documentaries and show short clips from upcoming documentaries.
• A talk by Dr. James Bogan, 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, on the second floor of the library. Dr. Dr. James Bogan, Curators’ Teaching Professor emeritus of art history and film at Missouri S&T will talk about the history of the UMR Film Series and his career as a filmmaker. The talk will feature screenings of several of his short films, including “Chalk Talk.”
• “Gerald Rackett, Class of 1920, and Technicolor,” 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the Rolla Public Library. Missouri S&T archivist Debra Griffith will give a short talk on the work of Gerald Rackett, a 1920 Missouri School of Mines graduate who became the vice president of Technicolor and innovated several film techniques. The talk will be followed by a showing of a full-length classic movie made possible by Rackett’s work with the three-strip filming process.

The Rolla Public Library will also be hosting events on this theme at the public library. For more information on those events, visit rollapubliclibrary.org.

For online resources related to this topic, visit libguides.mst.edu/LightsCameraROLLA.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.